Army Corps of Engineers (U.S.)

Following the revolutionary war, where military engineering proved important to American independence, President George Washington and Congress recognized the need for a group of experts to help the American armed forces and the early Republic. The Continental Congress had organized this corps of the army in 1775, and the U.S. Congress followed suit with its formal legal creation in 1802. Over the next 40 years, the corps was repeatedly disbanded and reestablished according to need. While the corps distinguished itself in military activities throughout the 19th century, the corp's development coincided with the great period of westward expansion and economic growth, especially through the development of harbors and waterways, which would become the agency's central task for the next century and a half.

In its early stages, the Army Corps of Engineers were central to exploration in the U.S. West, [Page 74]including expeditions through the Rocky Mountains. They also surveyed the lines for the earliest western railroads. So too, they assisted in the planning and construction of important public buildings, especially construction projects in the area of Washington, D.C., such as the Capitol, the General Post Office, the city's aqueducts, the custom houses, and the marine hospitals.

The main objectives of the corps, however, came to relate to matters of river and harbor improvement and the interest of commerce and speedy transit between locations. The corps was crucial in the planning and construction of the Panama Canal, coastal surveys, and planning and construction of lighthouses. In addition to water infrastructure, this mandate expanded over time to include services in the area of responses to natural and manmade disasters and environmental management and restoration. An important part of civil works is the maintenance and improvement of channels of water to help with their navigation. The corps also works to protect against flood damage to areas where high amounts of wreckage are prone to occur. They advise communities on zoning regulations and warn people about possible flooding conditions in their area. During the period from 1991 to 2000, the United States suffered from $45 billion worth of property damage, and the Corps of Engineers estimates that they prevented more than $208 billion of further damage.